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Despite losing out on a scheduled Cynthia Calvillo fight, former Invicta FC strawweight champion Livinha Souza, is still expecting a tough challenge at UFC on ESPN+ 13.

She takes on newcomer Brianna Van Buren this Saturday as she looks to continue her climb up the strawweight ranks. Calvillo was forced out due to broken foot, and despite not changing much in her preparation, Souza knows she’s in for a battle vs. “The Bull.”

“My preparation is pretty much unchanged,” Souza told MMA Junkie. “I was already training hard in every facet of the sport. We knew that Cynthia was also good in every area – wrestling, striking, and ground work. The main change is that Brianna is a southpaw. We’ve adjusted for that. She’s tough. She’s consistent. I think she’ll be very successful in the UFC. I expect a hard fight. We’re going to put on a show for the fans in Sacramento.

Souza (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is on a four-fight win streak, most recently edging out Sarah Frota via split decision at UFC on ESPN+ 2. Frota missed weight by a whopping eight pounds, but Souza was still able to overcome the challenge, and some personal adversity, emerging victorious.

“Against Sarah Frota, few people know, but I had broken my hand a little over two weeks before that bout,” Souza said. “I faced someone who was much heavier, and I could not use my hands well in regards to striking. I nullified her game. I took her down millions of times. I hit her in the face. That’s it.”

“I have excellent training partners. I’ve been with the same coaches since the start. My footwork has improved. My main attribute is plasticity – strength and striking power.”

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Souza has one career blemish, a split-decision loss to current UFC strawweight, Angela Hill, losing her Invicta FC strawweight title. Despite the controversial loss, Souza doesn’t look back with any regret, but does feel like Invicta FC should have at least tried to run it back.

“I’m very happy with my career thus far,” Souza said. “Although I don’t think I would have liked to recapture the Invicta belt. I’m very thankful to Shannon Knapp, but I don’t think they respected me at all by not giving me an immediate rematch after (the loss to Hill). It was ridiculous that they didn’t book us. It was a bad look for the promotion.”

“Then, she fought Kaline Medeiros and was almost submitted,” Souza added. “It was a horrible fight. I felt devalued. But I kept my head high and kept doing my work. Due to some injuries, I didn’t get to fight either Alexa Grasso or Jodie Esquibel. I did fight Ayaka Hamasaki, who’s a legend. I did well in that fight. Then I beat Janaisa Morandin, although that wasn’t for the belt. Overall, I feel great. I gave my best. I don’t believe I lost any fights at Invicta, since I still believe I beat Angela Hill.”

Although Van Buren doesn’t have Cavillo’s name value, Souza is just happy to stay active in her pursuit for strawweight gold.

And what does she want next? Well, a spot on the UFC video game would be a start, and to just keep moving forward in the division.

“I hope Electronic Arts adds me to the UFC video game,” Souza said. “I’m a huge fan. I also hope they improve FIFA 19. It stresses me out. My mental health suffers. As far as my future in the UFC, I hope to keep winning so I can renew my contract and continue to be among the best. I too want to leave my mark.”